Typical nasopharyngeal airways constitute a tubular airway inserted through a nostril of a patient for extension through the nasal passge to the back of the oropharynx region in order to maintain the patency of the breathing passage. Such an airway is typically about 4"-6" long and is made of a pliable synthetic material. A flange at the nasal end holds the airway in place relative to the nasal passage.
Such nasopharyngeal airways can be used during surgery, or during other periods of time when it is desirable to insure against collapse of the breathing passage. When the airway is required to be kept in place for an extended length of time, a smaller tube or tubes may be projected through the airway for the purpose of providing gastric treatment, feeding or decompression, for example. Such tubes severely restrict the cross-sectional flow area of the airway.
Typical nasopharyngeal airways do not provide for adequate oxygenation of a patient during certain medical procedures requiring insertion of tubes into the body through the nasal passage. Although a tube could be extended through the airway in order to administer oxygen, in much the same manner as described above for gastric treatment, the cross sectional dimension of the airway is limited, and use of an oxygen tube extended through the airway takes up space that could otherwise be used for administering other treatment. Moreover, some space must remain open through the length of the airway in order to allow the patient to exhale, and maybe to inhale as well, if oxygenation is used only to supplement the normal breathing.
Certain medical conditions require aspiration of fluids from the bronchial/tracheal region of the patient by applying suction through a tube extending through the nasal passage. Other medical apparatus than airways of the foregoing type have been used to suction or otherwise treat a patient and supply oxygen but have numerous disadvantages. For example, Gandi U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,550 discloses a dual passage suction catheter which is inserted through the nasal passage of the patient and extended into the tracheal passage for use in aspirating a patient. The catheter permits delivery of oxygen at a critical time to the tracheal area, well below the oropharynx, of a patient to be oxygenated. Simultaneously, the catheter also permits an aspiration procedure requiring the suction end of the catheter in the tracheal area. After suction and oxygenation is completed, typically for about one minute, the catheter is removed from the patient and discarded.
Sometimes patients require oxygenation over an extended period of time. While the unconscious patient may not exhibit gag reflexes, the catheter of Gandi would cause gagging in a conscious patient and thus cannot be continuously used. The requirement to provide constant oxygenation precludes use of a tracheal tube of the type disclosed by Gandi. Moreover, frequent insertion of such a dual catheter to provide oxygenation and suction can cause multiple trauma and swelling to the throat and nasal passage tissues.
It is thus an objective of the invention to provide an improved airway which facilitates constant patient oxygenation yet provides channels for other medical procedure and apparatus without interfering with oxygen delivery.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device which simultaneously accommodates constant oxygenation and maintains patency of the breathing passage of a conscious or unconscious patient in a manner which does not cause gagging or induce the cough reflex.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device which accommodates constant, continuous oxygenation, maintains patency of the breathing passage of a conscious or unconscious patient, and prevents tissue trauma caused by insertion of additional treatment apparatus through the nasal passage.